Matthew Tully: Government melts down, and it's hard to care

Sep. 27, 2013

Storm clouds hang over Capitol Hill on Friday as the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate stand at an impasse with Congress continuing to struggle over how to fund the government and prevent a possible shutdown. / AP

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After all, our government is days away from coming to a disastrous halt, and there is the very real possibility that the United States of America will default on its debts like a deadbeat with a credit card addiction. We are on the verge of the most glaring signal yet ó as if we needed another one ó that our nationís political system simply cannot function.

I know I should care. I know I should be glued to the couch, punching at the remote control and scouring the cable news world for the latest developments. I know every dinner table conversation should be about the precarious state of the country, the high stakes surrounding this debate, and the potential for dire outcomes.

Instead, I shrug.

Thatís because, in truth, Iím tired of the drama. Iím done. No mas. I give up. Even a political junkie like me ó seriously, I subscribe to satellite radio in part so I can listen to C-Span in the car ó finds himself in a state of D.C. fatigue. I am as tired of Mitch McConnell as I am of Miley Cyrus. I think Iím developing a nervous tic that shows up at the sound of Harry Reidís monotone voice.

Shut down the government. Donít shut down the government. Whatever.

Pay our debts. Or turn off the phones so the bill collectors canít get through. Either one will do.

I donít think Iím alone here. Iím fairly certain Iím not the only one who now sees Washington as the loser cousin whose life has been falling apart for years and who begins to bore you because he refuses to help himself or change his ways. Yes, our federal government has become the irresponsible, alcoholic cheating spouse who suddenly realizes that his relatives no longer care about his story.

Go to rehab, or go away. Grow up, or get lost.

The scope of the potential ramifications of the current breakdown should have all of us concerned. But as Washington dithers, here in Indianapolis weíre talking about things like, oh, police getting shot and a city budget that doesnít have room for the new officers we need. As Washington throws away another year, here in Indiana weíre talking about an economy that continues to crush so many residents. As Washington takes on battles that are guaranteed to accomplish nothing, a host of issues that could draw the nation together, such as jobs and education, are sidelined.

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You know, I recently had lunch in New Buffalo, Michigan, and met a friendly twentysomething waiter whose story seemed to have jumped out of a Bruce Springsteen song. An Ivy Tech Community College graduate who also works at UPS, he lives across the border in Indiana but drives about 40 minutes each way a few days a week to wait tables at a beachfront restaurant called The Stray Dog.

Why? Because his UPS job is only part-time and he has a 4-year-old daughter. He has bills to pay. As he brought lunch to our table, he told me that he just needs three older workers to retire and then heíll finally get on at UPS full-time. Until that happens, he and his wife are holding off on having a second child.

Think about that young man: A hard worker, clearly, and a dad who just wants to take care of his kid. He got an education but the promise of a good economy hasnít been there for him. Or for many in his generation. Or for many of any age in recent years.

Thatís America, circa 2013. Yet Washington plays politics.

Our stateís House delegation has been voting along party lines, of course, as if we elected robots. Meanwhile, you need to head over to the Smithsonian if you want to see examples of congressional or White House leadership. And, so, a shutdown or default approaches, and the likely damage becomes clear. Workers will be furloughed and government programs ó even those that work ó will suffer. The economy will take a hard hit and those 401ks that many of us have watched grow of late will surely tumble. Anyone with any fiscal or management sense understands that a shutdown is not a good way to cut spending or reorganize government.

Itíll be ugly. And I know I should be obsessively following every new development and press conference. I know I should be complaining about Obama and Reid, or Boehner and McConnell. But itís hard to get worked up after what now seems like a never-ending stretch of tiresome dysfunction. Itís hard to care much about the dysfunction when there appears to be no way out of it. Itís hard to get angry at the political villains when there seem to be no heroes.

Washington is lost, in part because of the people we voters keep electing, and in part because of the messages the most partisan among us keep sending. Itís led to a strange malaise.

Thereís no doubt that the political debates over the next few days will have long-term ramifications. And although I know I should care I keep having that same thought.